Friday, August 12, 2011

FAB FIND: Citronella as a Natural Mosquito Repellant

I was actually surprised at how many items one should avoid when pregnant.  This being my first, I was, of course, doing tons of research on the dos and don't s while on this 9-month pregnancy state.  Add to the additional warnings my ob-gyne gave me, and I might as well live in a bubble for all these grueling months!

One thing I was wary about from the beginning was the use of commercially-produced insect repellants.  I was unfortunate enough to find myself in this delicate state during the summer months and hence was a clear target and at the mercy of those pesky mosquitoes!

A cousin-in-law who was in a similar predicament as I was, recommended a natural and safe alternative in ridding these pests -- Citronella oils!


Citronella oils are obtained from the leaves and stems of different species of Cymbopogon or lemongrass; and has been used intensively in making perfumes, soaps and cosmetics.  It is also a well-known plant-based insect repellant (to learn more about citronella oils, visit wikipedia.com)

Being such a common household and perfume scent, one can find these wonderful oils in just about any department store in the country.  Take, for instance, this Novu brand which we brought  from SM's Home store for around Php200.

Word to the wise: do not expect this stuff to totally kill the mosquitoes.  They just "repell" these pesks away to a certain distance.

I love the scent and best of all, it's natural and safe for babies and pregnant women!  Such a great find!  =)

13 comments:

  1. we had a bunch of citronella candles for our camping trip last weekend. pretty cool how this stuff works, bugs stay away :)

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  2. @janelle, i want to get those citronella candles. anyway, i got mine from Human Nature and Ilog Maria.

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  3. I shall buy one of these next time :) I'm bug-prone. *sigh*

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  4. @Maria: Thanks for the visit. Will visit your site as well. =)

    @Pinay Mom: Yup. True. It has a really nice scent. =)

    @ArciPol: Same here. These mosquitoes really are pests. =(

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  5. I love to try but since I have a very sensitive nose. I don't use anything that has strong smell. Even when my sister cooks fried viand, I go and hide to avoid sneezing. :(

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  6. I'm using Ilog Maria's.. very effective! safe for preggies like us.. =)

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  7. @Apple: Really? Thanks for the tip! =)

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  8. @Pinay Mommy Online: Sayang naman. This really is effective in keeping pests away. =)

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  9. Yes, citronella works. You may also try sprays on skin that are safe for kids and pregnant women too. GIGA brand has it, or visit the Sesou stall in Trinoma and Market Market for natural and organic products.

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  10. @Badet: Giga's a new name to me. Will try to check them out one time. =)

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